woodward



, M06810 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.;

= E. P. WOODWARD. LOOM.

No. 502,024. Patented July 25, 1893.

lbw/71,968 93.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-alien 2.-

E. P. WOODWARD. LOOM.

Patented July 25 (No Model.) I a Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. P. WOODWARD.

LOOM. I

No. 502,024. Patented July 25, 1893.

' ITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

EDP. WOODWARD, OF VERNON CENTRE, CONNECTICUT.

LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 502,024, dated July 25,1893. Application filed llovember '7, 1892. Serial No. 451,230. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, En P. WoonWARn, of Vernon Centre, county of Tolland,Stateof Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Looms, of whichthefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification, like letters and numerals on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

In weaving many kinds of fabrics especially figured fabrics wherein theweft threads are not passed alternately over and under the warp threadsbut frequently over and under several warp threads at once, andparticularlywhen such fabrics are woven upon what are commonly known as'the open-shed type of loom, it frequently happens that the frictionalhold of the warp threads upon the weft in the shed is inadequate to keepthe weft taut or under the required tension while it is being beat in bythe lay, in which case such weft threads are apt to become slack andform defective fabric. To prevent this liability of the formation ofslack in the weft threads while being beat in, it is now the commonpractice to employ in addition to .the warp threads which are toconstitute the fabric proper, several additional warp threads calledleecing threads which are arranged at each side of and close to the warpthreads which are to form a part of the fabric proper. These leecingthreads during weaving are crossed regularly at each pick of the loom tocause the weft left by the shuttle to pass alternately over and underthem as in the weaving of simple cotton cloth, thus forming at each sideor edge of the fabric proper a selvage edge which varies in width fromonequarter to three-eighths of an inch according to the number ofleecing threads employed. These leecing threads being crossed regularlyat each pick of the loom back of the weft thread last laid by theshuttle bear frictionally upon the weft thread and hold the samestretched tightly as left by the shuttle While it is being beat in bythe lay, so that it cannot slacken and leave a defect in the fabric. Thewide selvage edge necessitated by these leecing threads is detrimentalto the appearance and ready sale of the fabric. Again, the closely wovenselvage edge upon each side of a loosely woven or figured fabricfrequently tends to draw and pucker the fabric in places, that being dueto holding the weft tighter than necessary. The leecing threads whichconstitute this objectionable selvage edge are of use only during thetime the weft threads are being beat in, and are thereafter useless,forthe threads when once beat in under the required tension and forminga part of the fabric will remain as left.

In my efiorts to dispense with the objectionable selvage edge and alsowaste of material, and at the same time furnish suitable means forholding the weft under proper tension while being beat in, I havediscovered that the leecing threads may be crossed sufficiently to holdthe weft while the latter is being beat in and then opened to theiroriginal uncrossed positions for the return motion. of the shuttle, theweft on its return being drawn back to the edge of the fabric proper,thus avoiding the objectionable selvage edges referred to and madenecessary where the leecing threads whencrossed remain crossed until thenext weft has been left by theshuttle before they are returned to theiroriginal positions. These leecing threads, or temporary binders, as Ishall hereinafter term them, for the reason that they only temporarilybind or hold the weft between the selvage proper and the shuttle Whileit is being beat in, are moved by suitable mechanism forming a part ofthis invention and which will be hereinafter described.

Other features of this invention, together with the above method will behereinafter described and set forth in the claims at the end of thespecification.

Figure 1, of the drawings represents in front elevation a loom equippedwith one form of temporary binders in accordance with this invention;Fig. 2,a vertical section of the same taken on the dotted line 00-00;Fig. 3, an enlarged detail view showing one of the binder operating camsand its arm; Fig. 4:, a longitudinal section of the same on the dottedline ac'm',' and Figs. 5,5, 6, 6 7 and 7*, diagram views to be describedillustrating by successive steps my improved method of temporarilyholding the weft threads under tension while being beat into the fabric.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the frame A; the lay B driven by aconnecting rod B from a crank on the crank shaft B a picker shaft C; aroller beam D; roll D; breast beam D sand roll D cloth roll D andharness frame E, are and may be of any other or desired construction andarrangement and operated in usual manner.

The frame A, as herein shown, has suitable bearings for the binderpulleys a, a, there being preferably two upper and two lower pulleysarranged in vertical pairs, each pair of pulleys being adjustablelongitudinally on the frame to accommodate varying widths of fabricwoven by the loom. Short binderbelts a are passed over the pulleys, asshown, the adjacent ends of the belts being connected by the binderheddles a through the eyes of which are passed the temporary binderthreads b,

be hereinafter shown, all the functions of the leecing threads of thepresent time and dispense with the selvage edge.

Thepulleys a, a, over which the binder straps are passed, are, as hereinshown, rocked 3 to alternately raise and lower the front and back set ofheddles a to efiect the closing or crossing of the temporary binders bymeansf of cams 0, one of which is shown on an enlargcd scale inelevation and section Figs. 3

and 4, fast on the picker shaft of the loom.

These cams are herein shown as path cams, in each of which respectivelyrun rolls or.

other studs 0 on the arms c said arms at their outer ends being jointedto studs e on the lower pulleys a, and at their opposite inner endsslotted to straddle and be guided by the picker shaft 0. The temporarybinders must be closed to hold the weft temporarily, or while it isbeing beat in, and then opened to release the weft before the next weftis laid by the shuttle, and as the picker shaft 0 inthe loom shown makesbuta single revolution for each two picks of the loom, the cam c thereoneach have two high surfaces 10, and two intervening low surfaces 11 togive to the arms 0 the pulleys a, to which they are jointed and theheddles a a reciprocatingmovement to close the binders to bind a weftthread and open the binders again to release a weft thread twice duringeach revolution of the shaft, 1'. 6., to close and open the binders ateach pick, of which there are two during each revolution of the pickershaft.

Referring now to the diagram Figs. 5 to 7 B represents the lay; b, b thetemporary binders; w the weft thread; 8 the shuttle, and D the breastbeam to which the temporary binders are secured, as described 5 F aportion of the completed fabric, and f several of the warp threadsforming a part of the fabric proper.

Referring particularly to Figs. 5 and 5, the lay is shown in itsrearmost position, the warp threads and temporary binders opened, (thebinders'b' depressed, the binders I) raised,) and the weft w shown inposition as left by the shuttle .9. Immediately after the shuttle haslaid the weft as in Fig. 5, and preferably just before or at thecommencement of the forward or beating in movement of the lay, therotating picker shaft 6 causes the cams c thereon tomove the arms 0 tothe left, Fig. 2, to shift the heddles a to cross the temporary bindersb, b, as shown by dotted lines Fig. 5, the crossing points of thebinders being immediately back ofthe weft so that the binders act uponthe weft at its opposite sides and between the selvage proper and theshuttle and grip or hold the same frictionallybetween them. The lay nowmoves forward to its position Figs. 6 and 6, and beats in the weft, thecrossing point of the temporary binders following the weft as the latteris pushed forward, as will be seenby reference to Fig. 6, so that theweft is at all times during its forward movement held frictionallybetween. the temporary binders. So far the action of the temporarybinders in the motion shown is practically the same as the movement ofthe usual leecing threads employedin the. looms at the present time.

ith the leecingthreads as now used, however, the leecin g 1 threads,correspondingto the temporary binders, remain crossed, asin Fig. 6,during the next succeeding pick of the loom, so that the shuttles, Fig.5, when returned with its weft= at the next pick, will pass between thecrossed leecing threads.

which are thereafter crossed again back of thenew weft to'hold the samein the manner described while it is being beat in back of the onepreviously beat in, so that the fleecing threads are thereby woven .intoor forming a part of the fabric and forming the selvage edge previouslyreferred to. In this present invention, however, and in accordance withmy improved method,the temporary binders I), Z), instead of beingpermitted to remainin their crossed positions, Figs. 6 and 6, during thenext pick of theloom, during the backward'movement of the lay andprevious to the next succeeding pick, remain in such positionstemporarily only, and are opened or returned to their normal uncrossedpositions, as in Fig. 7, the same binders I) being raised as in Fig. 5,thereby releasing the weft beyond the edge of the fabric between itsselvage proper and theshuttle, so that when the weft is returnedby theshuttle atthe next pick, the weft, instead of turning at the outerleecing thread as heretofore, is-permitted to draw in between the openedbinders to the selvage of the fabric proper, as shown in Fig. 7 so thatno weave whatever is made beyond the edge of the fabric proper.

From this description it will be seen that the temporary bindersinvolved in this invention clamp and hold the weft between the selvageproper and the shuttle while the weft is being beat into the fell, butthat instead of the binders remaining closed or crossed after binding athread and thereby being Woven into and forming a part of the fabric,thesaid binders are again opened to release the weft and permit thelatter when returned to draw in to the edge or selvage of the fabricproper. At each pick or during each complete or forward and backmovement of the lay the temporary binders are both opened and closed tohold and again release a weft thread; the Weft being held during itsbeating-in movement and thereafter released when it is not necessarythat it should be held to permit the weft to draw back to the fabric.

Herein lies the gist of this invention. Where a single weft and shuttleonly is employed, the shuttle being thrown alternately from one to theother side of the loom at each pick, the temporary binders at the sidesof the loom may be closed and opened only at alternate picks, or atthose times at which the threads are to be held at a particular side ofthe loom or fabric; but as a greater proportion of the fabrics in theconnection with the weaving of which the binders must be used arefigured fabrics wherein it frequently happens that two or more Weftthreads are entered in succession from the same side of the fabric, itis necessary that the binders at each side of the fabric close and openat each pick in order to catch and hold the weft if ithappens to be atthat side of the fabric.

While I prefer to employ binders consisting of threads as hereinshown,yet the invention is not necessarily restricted in thisparticular, as the binders may be of any form or construction capable ofholding the weft between the selvage proper and the shuttle while beingbeat in and releasing the weft prior to the nextsucceeding pick.

I claim- 1. In a loom, the combination with a lay, of temporary bindersfor the weft thread, said binders being located at each end of the loom,and mechanism to move said bindersto hold and release a weft thread ateach pick of th loom, substantially as described. a

- 2. In a loom, the combination with a lay, of

temporary binders for the weft thread, said binders being attached tothe loom at one of its ends, and mechanism to move said binders towardand from each other to hold and release a weft thread, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a loom, the combination with alay, of-

two or more temporary thread-like binders for the weft thread, heddlesthrough which said binders are passed, and mechanism to shift 5. Inaloom, the combination with a lay, of

two or more temporary thread-like binders, heddles through which saidbinders are passed, a rotating cam, pulleys reciprocated therefrom andconnected with and to shift said heddles and thereby move said binderstoward each other and return them again to their normal positions at asingle pick of the loom, substantially as described.

6. In aloom, the'combination with a lay, of two or more temporarythread-likebinders,

heddles through which saidbinders are passed,

pulleys to shift said heddles, and cams 'c having two high and two lowsurfaces and adapted to rotate once during every two picks of the loomto thereby shift said heddles twice at a single pick of the loom,substantially as described. p

7. In a loom, the combination with a lay of two or more temporarythread-like binders, heddles through which said binders are passed, andactuating mechanism for and whereby said heddles are shifted twiceduring a single pick of the loom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ED P. WOODWARD.

Witnesses:

W. E. PETTENGILL, HENRY L. NOBLE.

